


Second Chances

by midnights-dawn (waterfire)



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Post-Series, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 11:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterfire/pseuds/midnights-dawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Series. Mustang and his subordinates face moving on without Havoc when Marcoh's Philospher's Stone has only enough power to fix Mustang, only to find out in time that not everything was how it seemed and they may get a second chance after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not as you have probably guessed the owner of Fullmetal Alchemist or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or it's character's in any way. They belong to the actual creators of the series. I do however claim this plot and any characters I may make up for it. 
> 
> Authors Note: This fanfiction is written in response to the request of a friend. She wanted a story with this plot but insisted it had to be done from multiple points of view. Thanks to that particular aspect of the request I'm not sure how well this story actually turned out but like usual I am posting it anyways.

**~ Mustang POV ~**

Roy had no idea how long he had been stuck in this stupid hospital. While he was well aware of his reason for being there, (it was kind of hard not to notice being blind after all), he really wanted to be free of the place so he could get on with his new projects. Even surrounded by books and subordinates he really wanted nothing more than to hurry up and get on with life.

* * *

**~ Fuery POV ~**

He never really ceased to be amazed with his boss, even now with his blindness, the man never gave in, he kept plowing through with his ideas and plans and merely rewrote them whenever something went wrong.

It made it very difficult to keep secrets from the man, or even to surprise him significantly, so when Kain saw the flabbergasted look on his commander's face after Mustang heard his newest guest speak he knew the man had to be special even before they revealed that he was _the_ Dr. Marcoh.

* * *

**~ Hawkeye POV ~**

The Philosopher's Stone, made up of the lives of countless Ishbalans', it was the single most powerful alchemic object she had ever heard of and Marcoh was offering the last of its power for the purpose of curing Mustang's eyes.

If ever there was a time to be thankful this was it, because now he would finally be able to truly carry out plans that he had been putting aside on account of his blindness and make them reality.

An excellent sign because, (despite his brilliance at planning), everything was guaranteed to work far better if they could use the plans that heavily involved his help in them.

In fact, Hawkeye found herself so excited by the prospect she nearly missed the look of sudden determination that flicked across Mustang's face and still managed to be momentarily startled by his declaration that Havoc be the one to get treatment first.

* * *

**~Mustang POV~**

They couldn't do it. The words filtered through his head like poison.

Not enough power was left in the stone and if they were to try it anyways it would only result in needless torture for Havoc.

The only person the stone would be able to help now was Roy himself, and then only if he agreed to the terms of Marcoh's deal. (A concept he couldn't help but find kind of hilarious considering how he had already been doing exactly what would be required of him since long before he had even heard of the deal).

Everyone was now looking at him, waiting for his decision on the matter, telling him that 'Havoc wouldn't mind', or 'Do it for yourself', whatever they thought he needed to hear to make the decision in the manner they wanted.

It was actually Breda's quiet words that convinced him; saying that Jean would likely never forgive Roy if he heard that he was too afraid to accept such an exceptional offer.

A true enough statement now that he thought about it, since more than anything Jean hated it when he was stuck taking orders from cowardly superior officers, and Roy had absolutely no intentions of adding to the list of things that Jean had legitimate reason to hate him for.


	2. Suprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 years later, Mustang and his subordinates face a new challenge.

*** 2 Years Later ***

General; Roy had finally reached the rank of general. A rank where he had significant influence and power to do the things he wanted, and to top it off, all of his subordinates had earned promotions twice in that time as well.

They were making things work in their new setup, had managed to stick together despite the higher ranks and increased responsibility they all now held, (and that wasn't an easy feat whatsoever especially now that Hawkeye was a full Colonel), but his lucky streak seems to have finally reached its end.

He had worked his way to the posting he needed for his plans and managed to get all his people transferred with him, but could no longer get away with not having an official third in command. As such, Roy had been forced to agree that in exchange for all his good fortune, he would fill the posting with a Lieutenant Colonel who was already working at their new base.

No matter how much he wished otherwise, real life always involved sacrifices and compromises, something he knew better than to think he was immune to after everything that had happened.

* * *

**~ Falman POV ~**

They had finally boarded the train headed towards their new base of operations and he could see that, despite attempts to act otherwise, the tension was high within the group.

The tension was especially obvious in the lower ranks like himself, who, (unlike General Mustang and Colonel Hawkeye who were both ranked above their new officer), would be forced to listen to the commands of a new superior that they had never met, and frankly, didn't trust.

If he were honest with himself it just went to show how long they had spent under the unique, (and slightly insular), command style of Mustang, and just how pampered they were in regards to having to take orders from anyone else.

This wasn't to say that they didn't understand the logic of the decision, (as he had heard it this new Lt. Colonel was supposed to have been promoted around the same time as them and had spent the last nine months since then over at the base they themselves were only now leaving for).

With the massive change in leadership now that General Mustang was taking command it only made sense to have someone there who already knew the ropes and was trusted by the soldiers under the base's command in order to ensure a smooth transition.

No, the logic was easy enough to understand; it just... stung a little, knowing who that position should have gone to if everything had worked out differently.

* * *

**~ Mustang POV ~**

Here at last. They had finally reached the base that would be his, (likely final), headquarters and the base for all of his operations and ambitions.

Looking at it now though, he really couldn't help the sigh as he contemplated exactly how much reorganizing he was likely to have to do. The last general who had been in charge here had been useless beyond belief and from what he understood it had been the Lt. Colonel sent here 9 months ago, (his new third in command), who had done most of the running and organization of this place.

Not to say that that was necessarily bad, (from what he understood from past reports anything was better than what the general had been doing), but Roy had always enjoyed a different style of command than most generals, not to mention the unique command structure he had in place with the subordinates he had brought with him.

No, it was likely that Roy would be forced to reorganize everything again, and do it in such a way that it would not antagonize his new officer either.

None the less, it was up to him to make it work, because while Hawkeye was a high enough rank not to worry about it, the rest of his people would be under this officers command from here on out, and that wasn't even including the fact that his new officer seemed to somehow be on good terms with all the same military brass that he was, which left who they would side with in case of a confrontation up in the air.

No, polite was the way to go for now, it would build goodwill and hopefully make the Lt. Colonel inclined to try Roy's way of doing things.

* * *

**~Breda POV~**

It was... unexpected, to say the very least. They had all spent so long imagining the worst case scenarios that the reality of their new HQ threw them for a loop.

Not only was the dreaded Lt. Colonel not there at the time of their arrival, (he had gone out two days before to settle a dispute between some soldiers and the people of a town located about a day's travel away), but the entire base was surprisingly laid back considering its location and responsibilities.

That wasn't to say that the officers looked lazy or undisciplined, but rather that, for a group of officers charged with overseeing the Ishbalans, they did not seem to have any of the expected prejudices or sense of entitlement that was usually present.

This most likely meant that the base commander, (or more accurately the 2nd in command, since the General in charge was an idiot), had ensured that such behavior was not allowed. This could be because he either wished to make himself look good or because he actually believed in the peace and equality with the Ishbalans.

Of course, it was also possible that the Lt. Colonel hated the Ishbalans, and the soldiers only acted the way they did because they hated their commander and wished to subtly get back at him.

From what they had seen on their wandering of the base and some chats with random soldiers though, it was generally, (if slightly optimistically), believed that this guy must genuinely believe in the cause. His subordinates were pleased with his leadership and were happy to tell them about how the Lt. Colonel organized them behind the Generals back.

Evidently, they still possessed some luck after all, since they had managed to avoid all of the worst case scenarios for the base and its' personnel.

Now it was all down to Mustang, and whether he could manage to bring their new Lt. Colonel into the fold.

* * *

**~ Mustang POV ~**

Roy was nervous.

All of his subordinates, (and even Roy himself), had toured their new headquarters and deemed it close to exactly what they would have done themselves.

(To be honest, it was almost creepy).

Whoever his new subordinate was, it was obvious that they would be useful, (provided he won their loyalty). This, really, was Roy's problem at the moment.

He had anticipated having some sort of conversation about how to reorganize the base, and use that to get into the conversation about what he wanted to do in the future; to use the conversation as a stepping stone to getting this Lt. Colonel on his side.

Of course, now that he had nothing to complain about, he was going to somehow have to convince the guy to like him, (or at least respect him), based on his basic conversational skills alone, especially now that he seemed to be so talented.

Roy was terrified that he was going to screw this up and cause problems for the members of his team that were a lower rank than the Lt. Colonel, (everyone but Hawkeye). Normally a meeting with a guy two ranks his junior should not cause this much stress.

By this point, Roy and his team were hanging around the main lobby of the building since the General that Roy was taking over for knew absolutely nothing about how everything was organized, (except the fact that his office was not the one that had been designated for Roy).

The only person who knew anything about where they needed to go was the currently absent Lt. Colonel. Having been informed by the soldier who had given them the basic tour that the Lt. Colonel was on his way back and expected to arrive in the next five minutes, they had decided to wait for him to show up instead of wander aimlessly.

Hearing one of the soldiers outside greet someone as Colonel, Roy knew the moment of truth had arrived, and turned to the doors only to see a sight that left him speechless.

Jean Havoc sauntering through the doors; cigarette in hand, legs most definitely not paralyzed, wearing a military uniform with a Lt. Colonels rank on it.

In that moment Roy had a single thought go through his head; screw polite, he was going to roast his new Lt. Colonel alive.


	3. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean comes clean about how he is able to walk again.

**~ Havoc POV ~**

He had known it would be bad from the first moment he had accepted Dr. Marcoh's deal, had agreed to hide the truth from the people who meant the most to him, to lie for over 2 years.

To actually see the shock on their faces, (and more importantly the betrayal), was another matter entirely. Mustang was the worst by far, though in his case they only appeared on his face for a second before the pyromaniac rage obscured them.

Despite how quickly they were hidden, just the brief glimpse of the emotions had been enough to tell someone as experienced in reading Mustang as Jean, exactly how hurt and confused his leader really was by the situation.

Heck, the man might as well have been screaming it.

Nevertheless, now was hardly the time to be thinking about it, especially with the way Mustang was looking ready to use his alchemy, so Jean forwent the introspection, (and saluting for that matter), in favor of telling his subordinates to go find anything else to do, (provided it was nowhere near them), so that he could have a long awaited chat with their new general.

When everyone but Mustang's group had cleared the room, Jean was immediately faced with a large blast of flames that he was forced to endure, or risk Mustang accidentally burning down the base Jean had worked so hard to maintain despite his former boss's best efforts.

If he was being honest though, Jean also looked at it as a kind of personal penance, a way to help make the guilt that had been eating at him all this time go away even a little.

He had to admit though, he had forgotten just how much force Mustang could put behind his flames even when he wasn't actually trying to kill someone with them, (a fact he was quickly reminded of when he was thrown violently into the staircase banner and knocked unconscious).

* * *

**~ Falman POV ~**

A stunned silence had fallen over the group as they watched Havoc's body hit the ground.

It was easy enough to tell that everyone wanted to rush forward and check on the man, (who had for the past couple of years been more of a ghost than a person to them due to his mysterious disappearance from his parent's shop).

General Mustang seemed to have come to his senses in the wake of his rage and quickly ordered Fury to go find a couple of officers to escort them and carry Havoc to the base infirmary.

Once at the infirmary Mustang kicked everyone out but the unconscious Havoc and leaving Hawkeye instructions to stand guard outside the door and keep everyone out except in case of emergency.

Evidently, Mustang had no intention of being disturbed until he gets whatever the truth is from Havoc's mouth himself.

* * *

**~ Mustang POV ~**

It had felt so good to blast Havoc with his flames at the time. Now that he is binding the man's injuries in the aftermath however, Roy couldn't help but cringe at the realization that it had been Jean's spine that impacted the banner, (the same spine that had been injured by Lust and caused his paralysis in the first place).

Recalling his loss of temper and attack on Havoc caused Roy further grief, if it caused a relapse...

Roy found himself dragged from his musings and back to the present where he found to his chagrin that Jean had grabbed his, (now shaking), hands and was giving him a look like he knew exactly what Roy was thinking.

(Which, given how long and how well Jean had known him wasn't so much far-fetched as likely).  
 **  
**

* * *

**~ Havoc POV ~**

Jean could tell Roy's thinking was going down a dark path as soon as he caught a glimpse of him after regaining consciousness, and had grabbed his hands as soon as they started shaking in order to snap him out of it.

Jean then proceeded to tell Roy exactly what had happened to lead them to their current situation.

It had all started a little over 2 years before when Dr. Marcoh had shown up in his parent's shop with an offer. An offer, if Jean was being honest, that he could hardly have refused.

It was in essence the same deal as Roy had gotten, only with the additional stipulation that Jean was forbidden from contacting Mustang or the others when he returned to the military, and instead work for the current leader of the military until a new Ishbalan-related position was assigned to him.

Jean admitted to Roy that Marcoh had filled him in on his plans regarding Roy's sight and that he had been informed that if Roy took the job he would eventually be able to meet up with his friends again.

Everything that had happened since that day in the store had been according to Marcoh's plans and Jean's willing participation in them.

Jean could never apologize enough for the deception he had perpetrated on Roy and the others but he couldn't honestly say he would do it differently if he could go back in time and do it again, being able to walk, to do the job he was good at, it just meant too much to him.

The only thing he could do now, after the fact, was reassure Roy that he had fulfilled his obligations for secrecy and all that remained was the promise to help with the plight of the Ishbalan people.

Since Roy had that same promise to fulfill, Jean had no qualms in re-offering his pledge of undying loyalty to Roy, (assuming the man still wanted it after all this time), and decided to let destiny take its course.


	4. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mustang reminisces about the past and looks forward to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not as you have probably guessed the owner of Fullmetal Alchemist or it's character's in any way. They belong to the actual creators of Fullmetal Alchemist. I do however claim this plot and any characters I may make up for it.
> 
> Authors Note: This fanfiction is written in response to the request of a friend. She wished for a story with this plot but she wanted to see the story in multiple points of view. The result of my efforts is this fiction, which, honestly, I'm not too sure what to think of myself.I figured what the heck however, and decided to post it since it was already written anyways.
> 
> This fic is un-beta-ed, so be gentle. Constructive criticism is appreciated, Flames are not.

**\- 1 Year Later -**

**~ Mustang POV ~**

It had been a little over a year now since Jean Havoc had reappeared in their lives and thins were looking up.

Roy had immediately and delightedly accepted Jean's renewed pledge of loyalty when it had been offered to him and both he and all his subordinates had made the immediate decision to transfer all lingering resentment about the situation to Marcoh once they had heard the full explanation.

(To this day Marcoh refused to set foot within 500 meters of any of them except Jean without being in the presence of the Fuhrer for fear of retribution).

After a two-day long reunion party, the group had gotten to work, (expedited by the fact that Jean had already done most of the reorganization before they had even arrived).

A few adjustments had been necessary in the setup of the base, but considering Jean hadn't worked with them for nearly three years but overall Roy had been able to fast-forward his long term plans by two entire years, (one year for reorganizing the base, and one for training its' personnel).

With Jean back on the team they had it all done within a month and a half of their arrival.

Now, as Roy looked out of the glass walls of his private office he could seen Riza and Jean in their own offices on either side of his own and Breda, Fury, and Fallman at their desks set in the large area between them.

Roy was aware this wasn't a traditional setup, especially considering both Riza and Jean were both of sufficient rank to have their own separate areas for themselves and their personal subordinates, but it wasn't as if those subordinates weren't happy to be out from under the constant watch of their superiors.

If some of them were?

Well, there were certain advantages to being a highly respected general, and the ability to look up and see his subordinates, his friends, together and uninjured, was worth any annoying arguments every single time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
